Hey guys what do you think of DesignTek? I am looking at getting some spacers from them 7mm up front and 15mm rear. I like their kit as it comes with lock nuts.

It doesnt come with hub screws though, are these needed?

 

Make sure the FRONT 7mm spacers are "hubcentric", meaning they have the lip that centers the wheel when you hang it on. If they're not, don't waste your time. Lots of manufacturers show pics of their rear spacers which will have the lip because they're thick and have the material to work with, but when you get the fronts they will be flat disks and will make it nearly impossible to get the wheel centered and you will have vibration issues. I don't think the screws in the hub are a big deal.

 

The 15mm spacers in the kit are hubcentric - the 7mm are not.

Thanks for pointing that out.. I asked the seller and he said he had sold tonnes of them and never heard of vibration issues... I might just purchase 7mm hubcentric spacers additionally as this kit was the only one that came with long lock nuts for the 7mm and 15mm spacers - Porsche wanted $580 for a set of extended lock nuts!

 

What do you think of these 7mm spacers, off ebay but they are from the UK;

Specifications

Spacer material: Billet aluminium
Spacer finish: Clear anodised
Spacer thickness: 7mm
Spacer overall diameter: 168mm
Spacer centre hole (hub centre diameter): 71.6mm
Spacer PCD of bolt holes: 130mm




http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/7MM-HUB-C...a3261db&_uhb=1

 

I put my 7/15 spacers on this wknd, rears were hubcentric . No issues with front used wheel guide, easy install no vibration.

 

I dont understand what is hubcentric exactly? is it something that makes them fit right or keeps them from vibrating once fitted?

I have purchased two 'wheel fitting alignment tools' - will this help non hubcentric spacers and avoid any issues with vibration?

 

Adaptec (no affiliation) makes their spacers both hub and wheel centric (at least 7mm and up), plus my 7mm's also have the rotor screw holes to bind them to the rotor.

Price and quality is great, IMHO. I've posted photos of the 7mms previously on this thread: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-not-do-3.html in post 32.

Being that getting hub/wheel centric can be done at about the same price as ones that risk problems, why bother buying anything else?

 

i agree with stormrune. just buck up the extra $20 and get adaptec. they're a vendor on this forum.

 

Google is your friend...http://tires.about.com/od/understand...ric-wheels.htm

 

Note that the ones you link to on eBay are hub-centric but not wheel-centric. They will lock onto the lip on the hub just fine (they have to really or they wouldn't fit since the lip sticks out), but they do not provide a lip for the wheel to mate with. IMHO, the wheel centricness is largely to make the wheel easier to mount and insures the wheel is centered when you start putting the bolts in, but if you practice proper tightening procedure (snug all, firm all, tighten all) you probably won't have any vibration issues anyway. The hub/wheel centric lips just make it a lot easier.

Other than the lack of wheel-centricness and the fact they don't call out the grade of aluminum they are using, those look pretty good and appear to have nice zinc plated bolts to handle the extra length. I know that Adaptec is a sponsor here, maybe they can help advise.

 

Ok so hubcentric is just a fitting aid, got it. thanks!

One last thing, the bolts on one kit are stainless steel, the other kit they are carbon alloy steel, difference? preference?

EDIT: stainless steel it is -

Stainless steel differs from carbon steel by the amount of chromium present. Unprotected carbon steel rusts readily when exposed to air and moisture. This iron oxide film (the rust) is active and accelerates corrosion by forming more iron oxide, and due to the greater volume of the iron oxide this tends to flake and fall away. Stainless steels contain sufficient chromium to form a passive film of chromium oxide, which prevents further surface corrosion by blocking oxygen diffusion to the steel surface and blocks corrosion from spreading into the metal's internal structure, and due to the similar size of the steel and oxide ions they bond very strongly and remain attached to the surface